Reflections:

Priests & Vocations Sctn.:

Priests & The Sacrament of Penance

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"On
the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were
locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The
disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to
them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I
send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said
to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are
forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'" (Jn.
20:19-23)

"Even angels can't absolve from sin - this is an
unimaginable power!"

"[L]et
them not fail to have recourse to a priest, since the power of
binding and loosing is granted only to priests." (St. Francis
of Assisi)

"The forgiveness of
God can be obtained only through the supplication of
priests." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"Pastors
should also be mindful of how much the sacrament of Penance
contributes to developing the Christian life and, therefore,
should always make themselves available to hear the confessions of
the faithful." (Second Vatican Council)

"Nothing will prove of greater advantage to
the faithful, nothing will be found to conduce more to a willing
reception of the Sacrament of Penance, than for pastors to explain
frequently the great advantage to be derived therefrom. They will
then see that of Penance it is truly said that its roots are
bitter, bit its fruit sweet indeed." (Catechism of the Council of
Trent)

"You physicians, then, who are the
disciples of our illustrious Physician, you ought not deny a
curative to those in need of healing. And if anyone uncovers his
wound before you, give him the remedy of repentance. And he that
is ashamed to make known his weakness, encourage him so that he
will not hide it from you." (St. Aphraates,
c. 336-345 A.D.)

"Above all, priests should be very careful
not to give absolution to any penitent, whose confession they have
heard, without obliging him to make full satisfaction for any
injury to his neighbor's goods or character for which he seems
responsible. No person is to be absolved until he has first
faithfully promised to restore all that belongs to others."
(Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"Were the Redeemer to descend into a Church
and sit in a confessional, and a priest to sit in another
confessional, Jesus would say over each penitent: 'Ego te absolvo.'
The priest would likewise say over each of the penitents: 'Ego to
absolvo,' and the penitents of each would be equally absolved.
Thus, the sacerdotal dignity is the most noble of all the
dignities in this world." (St. Alphonsus Liguori,
Doctor of the Church)

"Can.
889 § 1 The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore a confessor
will diligently take care that neither by word nor by sign nor in
any other way or for any reason will he betray in the slightest
anyone's sin. § 2 Interpreters are likewise bound by the
obligation of preserving the sacramental seal, as well as those
who in any way come into knowledge of the confession." (1917
Code of Canon Law)

"Let
confessors remember the words of St. Alphonsus Liguori on a
similar matter: 'In general...in such cases the more severity the
confessor uses with his penitents, the more will he help them
towards their salvation; and on the contrary, the more cruel will
he be the more he is benign.' St. Thomas of Villanova called such
over-kind confessors: Impie pios - 'wickedly kind'; 'such charity
is contrary to charity.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici
Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)

"Can.
888 § 1 Priests, in hearing confessions, shall remember that they
sustain in their person equally judges and physicians, constituted
by God, to look after the divine honor and the welfare of souls.
§ 2 Let them in all respects avoid inquiring about the names of
accomplices as well as useless or curious questions, particularly
about the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, and particularly
when they inquire about such things with young people ignorant of
them." (1917 Code of Canon Law)

"As the frailty and weakness of human
nature are universally known and felt by each one in himself, no
one can be ignorant of the great necessity of the Sacrament of
Penance. If, therefore, the diligence of pastors should be
proportioned the weight and importance of the subject, we must
admit that in expounding this Sacrament they can never be
sufficiently diligent. Nay, it should be explained with more care
than Baptism. Baptism is administered but once, and cannot be
repeated; Penance may by administered and becomes necessary, as
often as we may have sinned after Baptism." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)

"For those [that is, priests] who dwell
upon earth and make their abode therein, have been commissioned to
dispense things which are in heaven, and have received an
authority such as God has not given either to angels or to
archangels. For it has not been said to them, All that you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and all that you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 18:18). Those who rule upon
earth, indeed, have authority to bind, but bodies only; whereas
this bond takes hold of the soul itself, and reaches heaven; what
priests execute below, God ratifies above, and the Master confirms
the judgment of His servants." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor
of the Church, 4th
century A.D.)

"We read in Leviticus
about lepers, where
they are ordered to show themselves to the priest, and if they
have leprosy, then they are to be declared unclean by the priest.
It is not that the priests make them lepers and unclean; rather,
it is the priests who separate the leper from the one who is not a
leper, and they can distinguish the clean from the unclean. Just as
in the Old Testament the priest [determines whether the leper is clean or
unclean],
so in the New Testament the bishop binds or looses not those who
are innocent or guilty, by reason of their office, when they have
heard various kinds of sins, they know who is to be bound and who
is to be loosed." (St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, c. 398 A.D.)

"The words of the Risen Christ on the
'first day of the week' give particular emphasis to the presence
of the Paraclete-Counselor as the one who 'convinces the world
concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.' For it is only in
this relationship that it is possible to explain the words which
Jesus directly relates to the [gift] of the Holy Spirit to the
Apostles. He says: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the
sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any,
they are retained.' Jesus confers on the Apostles the power to
forgive sins, so that they may pass it on to their successors in
the Church But this power granted to men presupposes and includes
the saving action of the Holy Spirit." (Pope John Paul II)

"The
priest's spiritual and pastoral life, like that of his brothers
and sisters, lay and religious, depends, for its quality and
fervor, on the frequent and conscientious personal practice of the
sacrament of penance. The priest's celebration of the Eucharist
and administration of the other sacraments, his pastoral zeal, his
relationship with the faithful, his communion with his brother
priests, his collaboration with his bishop, his life of prayer -
in a word, the whole of his priestly existence, suffers an
inexorable decline if by negligence or for some other reason he
fails to receive the sacrament of penance at regular intervals and
in a spirit of genuine faith and devotion. If a priest were no
longer to go to confession or properly confess his sins, his
priestly being and his priestly action would feel its effects very
soon, and this would also be noticed by the community of which he
was the pastor." (Pope John Paul II)

"[St. Ambrose] rejoiced also with those who
rejoiced, and wept with those who wept. For whenever anyone
confessed his sins to him to receive a penance, he so wept that he
forced the penitent too to weep. For he considered that he was
himself in a state similar to that of the penitent. But when case
of crimes were confessed to him, he spoke of it to none but the
Lord alone, with whom he interceded; and thus he left a good
example to later priests, to be intercessors with God rather than
accusers among men. For even according to the Apostle, love is to
be confirmed in dealing with a person of this kind; for he has
become his own accuser who does not wait for but anticipates the
accuser; and thus, by confessing, he lightens his own sin, lest he
have something of which the adversary [i.e. the devil] might
accuse him." ('Life of St. Ambrose', c. 420 A.D.)

"But
among all these powers of the priest over the Mystical Body of
Christ for the benefit of the faithful, there is one of which the
simple mention made above will not content Us. This is that power
which, as St. John Chrysostom says: 'God gave neither to Angels
nor Archangels' - the power to remit sins. 'Whose sins you shall
forgive they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain
they are retained'; a tremendous power, so peculiar to God that
even human pride could not make the mind conceive that it could be
given to man. 'Who can forgive sins but God alone?' And, when we
see it exercised by a mere man there is reason to ask ourselves,
not, indeed, with pharisaical scandal, but with reverent surprise
at such a dignity: 'Who is this that forgiveth sins also?' But it
is so: the God-Man who possessed the 'power on earth to forgive
sins' willed to hand it on to His priests; to relieve, in His
divine generosity and mercy, the need of moral purification which
is rooted in the human heart." (Pope Pius XI, "Ad
Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)

"To move the faithful to contrition, it
will be very useful if pastors point out some method by which each
one may excite himself to contrition. They should all be
admonished frequently to examine their consciences, in order to
ascertain if they have been faithful in the observance of those
things which God and His Church require. Should anyone be
conscious of sin, he should immediately accuse himself, humbly
solicit pardon from God, and implore time to confess and satisfy
for his sins. Above all, let him supplicate the aid of divine
grace, in order that he may not relapse into those sins which he
now penitently deplores. Pastors should also take care that the
faithful be exited to a supreme hatred of sin, both because its
turpitude and baseness are very great and because it brings us the
gravest losses and misfortunes. For sin deprives us of the
friendship of God, to whom we are indebted for so many invaluable
blessings, and from whom we might have expected and received gifts
of still higher value; and along with this it consigns us to
eternal torments unending and most severe." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)

"This
indulgence and the remission of our sins are given to us in a
special manner in the Sacrament of Penance, the masterpiece of
God's goodness, by which our weakness is fortified. Let it never
happen that the very minister of this Sacrament of reconciliation,
himself does not use it. The Church, as you know, declares as
follows in this respect: 'Let The Ordinaries be vigilant to see
that all their clergy frequently cleanse the stains of their
conscience in the Sacrament of Penance'. Though we are the
ministers of Christ, we are, nevertheless, wretched and weak; how
then can we ascend to the Altar and handle the Sacred Mysteries
unless we make a frequent effort to expiate our sins and cleanse
ourselves? By means of frequent Confession, 'The right knowledge
of one's self is increased, Christian humility is developed,
perverse moral habits are uprooted, negligence and spiritual
torpor are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will is
fortified, salutary self-control is obtained, and an increase of
grace is secured by the very fact that the Sacrament is
received'." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 1950
A.D.)

"The
power of order, considered in itself, extends to the remission of
all sins. But since, as stated above, the use of this power
requires jurisdiction which inferiors derive from their superiors,
it follows that the superior can reserve certain matters to
himself, the judgment of which he does not commit to his inferior;
otherwise any simple priest who has jurisdiction can absolve from
any sin. Now there are five cases in which a simple priest must
refer his penitent to his superior. The first is when a public
penance has to be imposed, because in that case the bishop is the
proper minister of the sacrament. The second is the case of those
who are excommunicated when the inferior priest cannot absolve a
penitent through the latter being excommunicated by his superior.
The third case is when he finds that an irregularity has been
contracted, for the dispensation of which he has to have recourse
to his superior. The fourth is the case of arson. The fifth is
when it is the custom in a diocese for the more heinous crimes to
be reserved to the bishop, in order to inspire fear, because
custom in these cases either gives the power or takes it
away." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"A short time previous to His Ascension
into heaven, when opening the understanding of His disciples that
they might understand the Scriptures, He bore testimony to this
Article of the Creed [that is, 'the forgiveness of sins'], in
these words: It behooved Christ so suffer, and to rise again from
the dead [on] the third day and that penance and remission of sins
should be preached, in his name, unto all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem. Let the pastor but weigh well these words and he will
readily perceive that the Lord has placed him under a most sacred
obligation, not only of making known to the faithful whatever
regards religion in general, but also of explaining with
particular care this Article of the Creed... On this point of
doctrine, then, it is the duty of the pastor to teach that, not
only is forgiveness of sins to be found in the Catholic Church, as
Isaiah had foretold in these words: The people that dwell therein
shall have their iniquity taken away from them; but also that in
her resides the power of forgiving sins; and furthermore that we
are bound to believe that this power, if exercised duly, and
according to the laws prescribed by our Lord, is such as truly to
pardon and remit sins." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"The priests of the Lord ought, therefore,
so far as the spirit and prudence suggest, to enjoin salutary and
suitable satisfactions, in keeping with the nature of the crimes
and the ability of the penitents, lest, if they should connive at
sins and deal too leniently with penitents, by the imposition of
certain very light works for grave offenses, they might become
participators in the crimes of others [cf. 1 Tim. 5:22]. Moreover,
let them keep before their eyes that the satisfaction which they
impose be not only for the safeguarding of a new life and a remedy
against infirmity, but also for the atonement and chastisement of
past sins; for the ancient Fathers both believe and teach that the
keys of the priests were bestowed not only to loose, but also to
bind [cf. Matt. 16:19; John 20:23]. Nor did they
therefore think that the sacrament of penance is a tribunal of
wrath or of punishments; as no Catholic ever understood that from
our satisfactions of this kind the nature of the merit and
satisfaction of our Lord Jesus Christ is either obscured or in any
way diminished; when the [shameless] Innovators wish to observe this, they
teach that the best penance is a new life, in order to take away
all force and practice of satisfaction." (Council
of Trent, 1551 A.D.)

"This
truth is clearly conveyed by our Lord Himself, when, by a most
beautiful metaphor, He calls the power of administering this
Sacrament, the key of the kingdom of heaven. Just as no one can
enter any place without the help of him who has the keys, so no
one is admitted to heaven unless its gates be unlocked by the
priests to whose custody the Lord gave the keys. This power would
otherwise be of no use in the Church. If heaven can be entered
without the power of the keys, in vain would they to whom the keys
were given seek to prevent entrance within its portals. This
thought was familiar to the mind of St. Augustine. Let no man, he
says, say within himself: 'I repent in secret to the Lord. God,
who has power to pardon me, knows the inmost sentiments of my
heart.' Was there then no reason for saying 'whatsoever you loose
on earth, shall be loosed in heaven'; no reason why the keys were
given to the Church of God? This same doctrine is taught by St.
Ambrose in his treatise On Penance, when refuting the heresy of
the Novatians who asserted that the power of forgiving sins
belonged solely to God. Who, says he, yields greater reverence to
God, he who obeys or he who resists His commands? God commands us
to obey his ministers; and by obeying them, we honor God
alone." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"In making this necessary acknowledgement
of our sins, it is not enough to call them to mind lightly; for it
is necessary that the recollection of them be bitter, that it
touch the heart, pierce the soul, and imprint sorrow. Wherefore,
the pastor shout treat this point diligently, that his pious
hearers may not only recollect their sins, and iniquities, but
recollect them with pain and sorrow; so that with true interior
contrition they may betake themselves to God their Father, humbly
imploring Him to pluck from the soul the piercing stings of sin...
The pastor, however, should not be content with placing
before the eyes of the faithful the turpitude of sin. He should
also depict the unworthiness and baseness of men, who, though
nothing but rottenness and corruption, dare to outrage in a manner
beyond all belief the incomprehensible majesty and ineffable
excellence of God, particularly after having been created,
redeemed and enriched by Him with countless and invaluable
benefits... And for what? Only for this, that separating ourselves
from God our Father, who is the supreme Good, and lured by the
most base rewards of sin, we may devote ourselves to the devil, so
to become his most wretched slaves. Language is inadequate to
depict the cruel tyranny which the devil exercises over those who,
having shaken off the sweet yoke of God, and broken the most
lovely bond of charity by which our spirit is bound to God our
Father, have gone over to their relentless enemy, who is therefore
called in Scripture, the prince and ruler of the world, the prince
of darkness, and king over all the children of pride. Truly to
those who are oppressed by the tyranny of the devil apply these
words of Isaias: O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had
dominion over us (Isa. xxvi. 13). If these broken commandments of
love do not move us, let at least the calamities into which we
fall by sin move us" (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

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